There is only a handful of us who truly relish the prospect of commuting on a daily basis but rather than take a negative view that this daily trip is a necessary evil you could actually turn the journey into an opportunity to do something productive.
Here is a look at how to make the most of your perceived dead time between leaving home and arriving at the office. Discover how to clear your emails, learn a new language or catch up with news and views with some of your favorite podcasts.
Get ahead of the game
If you are already thinking about work before you even get there you might as well use an app that helps you clear your email inbox even before you arrive at work.
Gmail is easy to use wherever you happen to be but it is not exactly going to be safe or legal to scroll your way through your emails if your eyes should be on the road and your hands need to be on the wheel.
If you are driving your car to commute you can still find a way to safely deal with your inbox if you download ASAM. It reads out your emails slowly and clearly, before giving you the chance to dictate a reply.
Another good app to use would be the Automatic Call Recorder for Me app, which does what it says on the tin and records all of your telephone calls and stores them for later.
This would be a productive use of your time to work your way through some of the calls you have received and review all the important details discussed so that you can follow up or take action when you get to the office.
Easy way to learn the lingo
Many of us have a basic grounding in at least one foreign language from our time at school, but as soon as you start working it is often something that doesn’t go any further.
It is often not a lack of interest in learning a new language that is the barrier to success but more a case of not having the time to become fluent in a foreign language.
The answer could be to download an app like Duolingo so you can put that commuting time to good use and rack up some serious language-learning hours every week. This could be a painless way to get to grips with a new language and a few months of learning alongside your commuting could see you make some giant strides in your fluency.
A world of entertainment and information
Podcasts are a great way to fill your commuting time as they offer you something to keep you entertained and informed with a show that will probably last about the time of a typical commute.
NPR offer a range of podcasts to download and subscribe to, plus there are plenty of others around to consider too, so you shouldn’t be short of worthwhile things to listen to as well as business podcast here on EPN.
Take a fresh look at how you commute to work and you will soon find some useful ways to make more productive use of your time.
Lewis Gray credits his success in business to being productive and managing his time well. He shares his thoughts on this and other business topics through his articles.
